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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Gagetown Ferry Will Operate Into December

The Province's Transportation Minister says the Gagetown ferry will keep running into December.
Denis Landry says this decision honours recommendations by a community working group that looked at the future of three ferries. Landry says the 52 year old Gagetown vessel will continue to operate until early to mid December before the Saint John River freezes up.
The Graham Government agreed in September to continue operating the vessel on a seasonal basis for 18 hours a day. Landry says his government is making good on another recommendation by the working group. That is the ferry will undergo assessment by a naval architect to determine if it meets federal standards and outline any necessary upgrades and costs.

Local Teens Promote Program for Homeless Teens

A group of teens are travelling around the city raising awareness about the Teen Resource Centre and its Oasis program.
The program helps teens with free showers, laundry services or personal needs.

Volunteer Chantal Savoie says the drop-in centre is available for all teens who need somewhere to go after school.
There are over 120 homeless teens in Uptown Saint John.
For more info on Oasis, call 632-5765 or visit by the Teen Resource Centre at 28 Richmond Street.

Elsie Wayne Continues Her Recovery


(file photo)

Former MP and Mayor Elsie Wayne continues to rest and recover. This after the 77-year old suffered a stroke almost two weeks ago. Brian Mosher is a long time friend of the family and tells CHSJ News, she is still at the Regional and showing improvement everyday.


Her speech is slowly coming back but she is still having trouble swallowing and is working with a therapist to correct that problem. Mosher says there is no timeline as to when she will be going home.

Premier Responds to Proposed Tax Rate Change

Premier Graham is defending his parties latest move concerning tax rates as municipalities continue to go over their budgets. The Liberal Government has proposed a cut in the rate for every municipality in the province, some as high as 11 cents. Graham tells CHSJ News, after years of complaints, they have put a new mechanism in place they hope will aleviate some of the pressure on home and property owners.

Graham adds if municipalities choose to access those tax dollars from residents of those homes, with-out having to provide extra infrastructure, they have to pass that vote in council.

Open House Tonight on Eider Rock



                                                   (file photo)
              
The Environmental Impact Assessment process continues for the Eider Rock project even though it is on hold. The Provincial Environment Department will hold an open house tonight to hear positive or negative comments. The final EIA documentation prepared for the project from Irving Oil has been handed over to the province. They are satisfied the company will take appropriate actions to protect the environment and now begins the public consultation process.

The Clean Air Coalition is not in favor of the project and since day one, has been calling for a Federal E.I.A before the project is given the green light to proceed with construction. Tonight's meeting gets started at seven o'clock at the Simonds Lions Auditorium on the Loch Lomond Road.

Update on Construction of Costco Store

All of you waiting patiently to do some shopping at the new Costco Store in East Saint John, are going to have to wait a little while longer. Even though construction is moving along at a solid pace, the store won't have a ribbon cutting until May. Troy Northrup with East Point Shopping tells CHSJ News, they expect to have a few more announcements about the area soon.

Also under construction is a new TD Canada Trust Branch which is expected to be open by March.

Winter Meeting Tonight

Municipal Operations has the second of it's five meetings ready to go tonight. It's to discuss the City's Winter Management Plan for snow removal and information on changes to on street parking. The first was Monday night and was received well by residents of Ward One.

There will be a short presentation and then a question and answer period. Things gets started at 6:30pm at the Carelton Community Center.

Cherry Brook Zoo Looking for Cash

Respresentatives from the Cherry Brook Zoo are asking Quispamsis council to support the facility in becoming a regional facility. This, according to the director would ensure financial stability for the zoo. Lynda Collrin tells CHSJ News, finances are the only concern regarding keeping it's accreditation, and this change will give them the funds they need.


By supporting the change, Quispamsis will make a financial committment, so the issue has been reffered to the finance committee, as did the town of Rothesay.

Red Cross Awards Handed Out Tonight

The ballroom at the Delta will provide the back-drop for the 2009 Red Cross Humanitarian Awards. Two women, Diane Ganong and Leah Secord will be honored. Ganong is from St. Stephen and Secord is a high school student here in Saint John, will receive the 2009 Young Humanitarian for her dedication to helping others.

The hardware will be handed out starting just after eight o'clock.

Growing Your Business On-Line

Social Media and Small Business don't mix so well according to a new survey. BizLaunch.ca found 49 per cent of the entrepreneurs surveyed spent up to 101 hours in social media promotions but, only 28 per cent say that investment brought returns. Andrew Patricio of BizLaunch.ca says the biggest mistake small business owners make with social media is using your Facebook page or Twitter account only to plug sales or specials.


He says social media is about building a community of people with common interests. BizLaunch and Bell Aliant are hosting a free seminar on growing your business online. It's tonight at the Saint John Library in Market Square starting at 6pm.

More Olympic Runners Announced

The thrill of a lifetime will happen for many on Tuesday of next week. More of those people chosen to escort the Olympic Flame through Greater Saint John have been announced. In Quispamsis, the torch will be carried by the mother and daughter duo of Cindi and Megan Baisley. It's expected to arrive in the Town just after 3:30pm on Tuesday of next week. Tim Lowery will also get the honor in Quispamsis.


Down the street in Rothesay, Katelyn Johnson of Fredericton will get her 15 minutes of fame with the flame. Barry Short will take up the torch here in Saint John before it is handed off to Debbie Cooper for the huge ceremony at the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal. The following day, Ellen Steeves will continue the relay with a run in Grand Bay Westfield.

Christmas Spirit in Quispamsis

A trip to Quispamsis tonight could help you get over the hump if your still trying to find your Christmas spirit. The town is holding it's annual tree lighting ceremony tonight in the Arts and Culture Park. Mayor Driscoll and councilors will be there and along with the tree, the switch will be thrown on the town's Dreamland Display.

The outdoor rink will open for the first time this season following the tree lighting and starting tomorrow, the ice surface will be open every day between ten in the morning and ten in the evening. The ceremony gets started at seven o'clock.



Strong Numbers for Saint John Area Real Estate

After you hear these numbers, you might not wonder any longer why so many people in Greater Saint John are choosing Real Estate as a profession. The numbers are in for the residential average price for homes sold by Saint John Real Estate Board’s MLS® system. They set a new record with the average price for a home up 18% to over $178,600 dollars.


MLS® home sales were 544 last month, down just three per cent from a year earlier. The total value of all MLS® home sales was $30.4 million in October up 15 per cent from last year.

No Curfew for Quispamsis

The town of Quispamsis will not implement a curfew bylaw. The request came from a resident who noticed young people strolling through his property and ringing his doorbell at all hours of the night and early morning. Rothesay Regional Police Chief Stephen McIntyre wrote to council advising them the cost of prosecuting offenders would be considerable and would be the sole responsibility of the town.


McIntyre adds he would not like to see a situation where officers are taken away from other duties because they are taking a young person home or waiting to turn them over to an adult.

Project at the Irving Oil Refinery is Finished

It took almost 1.4 million working hours and cost 220-million dollars but, the Irving Oil Refinery maintenance project is finished. During the peak of the project, there were 2300 construction people working. Spokesperson Lesley MacLeod tells CHSJ News, even better news is no one was hurt over the two month stretch and that means no lost time.


During the project, 37 cranes capable of lifting 750 tonnes each were used and this is the largest project of it's kind for the refinery.

New Bylaw for Subdivisions in Quispamsis

From now on, subdivisions in Quispamsis are going to require more focus on storm water management. A bylaw is now in affect requiring developers to conduct an examination on stormwater sewers and any impact rain and snow melt would have on neighbouring properties. Director of Engineering Gary Losier tells CHSJ News, so far the feedback from new residents is positive.

Losier adds developers are going to charge to do the assessments and it will likely be included in the lot fee.

Provincial Conservatives Set Up Website

The Provincial Conversatives are taking to YouTube and the web to get their views out on the proposal between NB Power and Hydro Quebec. Leader David Alward says they want to offer the people of the province straight talk on the issue and says these sites serve as tools to help New Brunswickers get the real facts about the deal.

Alward adds these outlets allow everyone in the province to get information that hasn’t been tainted by the Liberal spin machine. The website is STOPSHAWNNOW.CA and the party also has a YouTube channel.